Saturday, 8 August 2009

An increase in the drinking age won't achieve anything

They are strongly considering about putting the drinking age up to 21 in the UK. I don't think binge drinking is any worse now than what it was 20 years ago. There were people throwing up and getting in punch ups through booze then. I don't think generally society is more violent than 20 years ago. There was violence then. In life, you always get a minority of idiots and arseholes who spoilt it for the decent majority. The difference is that we have a mass media that blows everything out of proportion now, as opposed to then.

In 1989 we didn't have Sky TV, the Internet or as much sensationalism. Of course there has always been sensationalism, but it has got worse in the last decade. A remark any figure in the public eye makes nowadays in pounced upon, over-analyzed and sensationalized. There is definitely overkill in the media.

If the legal boozing age is increased to 21, people aged 18 to 20 will find other ways to get hold of booze so they can get smashed out of their skulls. The way the media talk, you would think that 20 years ago, the sun shone every day, the sky was blue, everyone had plenty of money, no-one was unemployed, the busses and trains ran on time, there were no murders, no crimes. Of course that is bollocks.